


Once Upon a Time

by Adry1412



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Kissing, Knight Rick, M/M, No angst!!, Prince Daryl, Prince Merle, Shane the Mule, Sleeping Beauty AU, actual humor!, also there's a dragon, fairy tale AU, not really it's just sassy, twist on fairy tales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 10:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6606949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adry1412/pseuds/Adry1412
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick is a not-so-noble knight and Daryl is a prince who was hidden away under a sleeping spell. Rick must save the prince if he wants the cash prize Prince Merle has offered any knight who can return his brother to him.<br/>---<br/>Based off my doodle! You can see it here : http://abernathysphotography.tumblr.com/post/143110177845/sleeping-beauty-au</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time...

That's how every fairy tale, Rick had ever heard, began. From stories of fairies and witches to dragons and ogres, they all started and ended the same way. With a once upon a time and a happily ever after.  
And it was all bullshit.  
He'd heard the tales of glorious knights in shining armors and brilliant steeds saving princesses and breaking curses, and he'd laughed his ass off each and every time.

So he sits in the obscene bar, people drinking, smoking, and fighting all around him while he downs his fifth pint of beer. It's so loud in the cramped bar, outcasts, rebels and ne'er-do-wells alike all shouting their conversations and smashing whatever they could get their hands on, and Rick hates it.  
But it's where he belongs.  
A shitty knight by nature he was never the bravest or stronger or even the most handsome, though his mother would say other-wise. His bright, white steed being nothing more than an overweight mule with a bad attitude named Shane. His garbs riddled with holes and indescribable stains making it look more like a dirty table cloth then anything a noble knight should wear. He's never saved no princess, or damsel in distress, or poor towns folks. He's never rode off into no sunsets with anyone on his arm, kissing him sweetly. Never slain no dragon or climbed no tall fucking towers.  
He was just Rick. And some days, that was enough.  
Other days, he wanted more. More adventure, more action, more money and recognition, more everything.

\---  
Now, staring down the beast in front of him, he regrets wishing for more.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!" He runs up the stairs, barely avoiding the gigantic three headed beast. It's screaming, lava pouring out like a faucet from its two side heads, and Rick knows he's fucked six ways to Sunday.  
He stops at the top, a false lead with its broken landing, and turns, wide eyed at the monster. It's large, bloodshot eyes focus on him, a cruel smirk on its scaly, ugly faces and Rick is afraid. Afraid for his life, afraid for having lost his one chance to prove himself as a notable knight, afraid for the prince stuck in a sleeping spell at the top of the tower, and, most importantly, for his last pair of good pants.

The demon rears back with the loudest roar and Rick's gulps, shield feeling incredibly heavy in his trembling hand and his sword wavering in the other. Yep, looks like that's it for his pants.  
Rick sees it before he fully perfects his plan. The metal chain from a long forgotten chandelier just to his left. The broken frame from the possibly once diamond light fixture laid just at his feet. It's a foolish idea but Rick has nothing left to lose. As the beast pulls back, mouth filling with molten lava, he reaches for the chandelier, turning to throw it over the beast's neck.

It misses, of fucking course it misses. Instead of landing around the dragon's middle head, hanging loosely around its muzzle. Rick almost laughs, tears threatening to spill. His one fucking chance and...  
Wait. Now Rick does laugh.  
The beast had opened its mouth, lava collecting behind its long sharp teeth, cooling while it shrieks. The two side heads are thrashing, both attempting to remove the metallic ring from the middle, teeth scraping its face and piercing its eyes. It's choking on the rapidly solidifying lava, new hot streams coming from the side of its mouth and dripping onto its jaw, burning deep streaks of raw marks all down its long neck.  
"Ha! Suck on that, bitch!" Running down the stairs again, Rick leaps, sword drawn and ready to pierce the son of a bitch right through its demonic heart. Black blood drips down as its two remaining heads scream out, voices shaking the crumbling grey castle walls. Rick fears for his hearing as he dashes towards the opposite stairway, turning to watch the great beast fall dead, heavy body causing a mini earthquake that has him clutching the banister.  
A hardy, satisfied laugh and a middle finger its direction is all Rick has to say to the dragon. He walks towards the tower door at the landing and stares up the endless spiraling stairway. Whispering a curse, he begins the real adventure of concurring the dreaded stairway.

He thinks about what had lead him here. The recently deceased (thank goodness) King Dixon was a foul and powerful leader, ruling the kingdom with an iron fist. Having, seemingly, no love in his small, black heart for anyone but his eldest son, and heir to the throne, Merle, he had sent his youngest away; locking him the tallest tower he could find under a witch's spell.  
Rumors had spread, throughout the land, on the possible reasons behind King Dixon's choice. Some said it was foretold that the younger would have stolen the throne, others that the boy had fallen in love with a man the king did not approve of, so they were separated and the son hidden from his lover. Some others had said that his beauty was so unnatural that it was impossible to resist, so the king sent him away for protection.  
Rick didn't know what to believe. So many conspiracies and rumors had popped up, some believable and some downright outrageous, that they made his head spin. He didn't care why the king had sent his son away, nor did he care.

All he cares about was the large, cash price that Prince Merle had promised to whomever could bring his brother back to him. Many brave knights had tried and every one had failed. Rick shudders when he remembers the mountain of skeletons and armors he had passed both outside and inside the dark, damp castle. No knight had made it past the horrendous beast that protected the sleeping prince. No knight had even gotten close enough to attempt to wake the king's son with the supposed spell breaking kiss.  
Rick scoffs at the thought. A kiss was supposed to wake the prince? What kind of poorly written fairytale was this? Fat chance he'd kiss some unconscious man! He wasn't some creep.  
All he cares about was the prize money, enough of it to properly retire and buy a little cottage out by the sea. He sighs, first he's gonna have to make it up these goddamn stairs.

\---  
"Fucking finally!" He's exhausted, collapsed at the top of the never ending stairwell, sucking in deep breaths and trying to get his heart to stop hammering. Sweat beading on his forehead and, God, he needs to work out.  
A thin stream of light glows from under the door, Rick staring at it as he tries to catch his breath. He's finally made it. He winces, thinking about carrying some passed out man down those retched stairs. Maybe he'll just slide him down, not like the guy will wake up or anything. Sighing he stands, willing his body to push through and do this one last thing. Then he will be back on the road, that damn mule giving him trouble like always.

The door creaks open slowly with the most god awful whine Rick's ever heard before. The room is dark and stale, dust hanging around and covering every surface. There's a large bed, covered in a canopy of thick, sheer fabric, the thin outline of a person catching Rick's eyes. He moves quietly through the silent room, steps seeming to echo as he walks around the bed frame and hovers a moment. Pulling the fabric back slowly, his breath catches and he freezes.  
Long, chestnut brown hair lays in slight waves against the pillow, strands curl in around a slender, pale neck. Dark eyelashes rest against flawless, porcelain skin pulled against sharp cheekbones. Rick takes in every detail, from his thin frame wrapped in a light blue tunic, soft hands holding long dead flowers over his steadily rising and falling chest, to his thin, pink lips.  
He swallows the lump in his throat, staring at that small and unbelievably kissable mouth, his throat going dry and he licks his own red lips.  
He grumbles, turning and rubbing his shaking hands roughly over his face. "Come on, Rick, get it together." He steals a glance at the sleeping prince, "Fuck! I can't do this. No, no it's too much, this is bullshit! He's so..." Another glance, "Goddammit, why'd he have to be so beautiful!"  
He collapses against the wall, staring at the most breathtaking man he's ever seen. His stomach is doing acrobatics and his heart attempting to break free from its boney confinements. Why couldn't the prince be ugly? Or at least average? Why couldn't he be hidden away because he was too ugly for the world, instead of the very obvious too beautiful? It was complete bullshit and Rick hated it.  
How could be he expected to hand the prince over when all he could think of was taking him away?

He spends a few moments just looking at the man, his eyes wandering over every visible inch of the sleeping beauty. He thinks of every possible option, of taking the man far far away from here or hiding him away and telling Prince Merle that the man had died in his sleep.  
He jolts with a sudden realization. The kiss!! Here Rick was thinking of every possible option for him and the prince without even taking into consideration that he could even wake him! But wait..that's stupid. No fucking way a kiss could break some dumb spell. Well...it's worth a try! And if it fails, well at least he got to kiss the gorgeous man.

"Alright, Ricky, deep breaths. You can do this. Just kiss him!" He looks at the man sleeping peacefully on the plush bed. "It's just a kiss, it's just a kiss, it's just a-"  
Kiss.  
Pulling back, he opens one eye, looking for any movement.  
Nothing.  
He sighs, getting ready to lift the sleeping man, trying desperately to ignore the ache in his chest. He puts his hands under the prince's legs and shoulders.  
A whine.  
Rick jumps back, eyes wide and unblinking as eyelids flutter and begin to open. Piercing blue eyes blink, sleepily awake and catch on Rick's. It worked! Rick wants to hop up and dance around, chanting wildly and loudly that he'd done it! His kiss had broken the spell!

His daydream is broken when the man screams.  
Rick falls back, scrambling to the wall as the prince sits up, screaming loudly and rattling the knight's nerves down to his core. "Who are you?! Why are here?!"  
A pillow is being lifted and threatening to be aquatinted with Rick's head, "Wait!! I'm Sir Rick!! I was sent here by your brother to bring you back to the kingdom."  
"Why?"  
"Your father has died. Prince Merle wishes to have you brought to him so that he may have the spell broken."  
"How can he break it? It's true love's kiss that supposed to-"  
They stare at each other, both minds working overtime trying to process what they had heard.  
The prince speaks first, words quiet, barely above a whisper as he lowers the pillow. "How did you wake me?"  
The heavy silence swells between them, neither daring to move. "I-I kissed you."  
The walls seem too close and a bead of sweat falls down Rick's forehead as he watches different emotions flash across the, so far, nameless man's face. "Let's take it slow, ok? What's your name?"  
"...Daryl."  
"Ok, Daryl. I'm Sir Rick."  
The princess dips his head, "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but.."  
"I understand." Rick stands, brushing dust off his slacks and tries to figure out his next move. "We should go, the Prince is expecting you back at the kingdom."  
"But I don't want to go to the Kingdom."  
Now Rick is shocked, his mouth wide and eyes narrowed. "Why not?!"  
A shrug. A damn shrug is all the now woke prince has to say. After everything Rick's gone through, every mile fighting with his stubborn mule, every night under the stars on the cold, hard ground, the fucking dragon and those horrendous stairs! He pinches the bridge of his nose, taking deep breaths. "Daryl, I was sent to bring you back. Now, if you don't mind, I'd greatly appreciate if you would follow me."  
"I don't want to go."  
"Oh, for fuck's sake, why not??"  
He flinched and Rick feels instantly horrible. Worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, he takes a second to collect his words.  
"If what you say is true, and your kiss woke me... Then you must be my true love." Bright blue eyes lock on his and Rick can't help the burning blush that consumes his face. "I'd rather spend time with my savior then go back to the hellish life I once had in that castle with my brother and father."  
"So what do you want to do?"  
He up and smiling, gentle bare feet kicking up dust as he closes the distance between himself and the lackluster knight. "I rather get to know you. I rather you took me with you, somewhere far, far away."  
Rick nods, his face hurting with his wide smile and his brain completely forgetting about the cash money and prospects of being a famous and noble knight. Now he just wanted to be Rick.   
"Then, shall we get going then?" An arm is offered and taken by incredibly soft, slender hands. "Of course, but I'm not walking down all those stairs."  
"Fuck!"

\---  
So maybe it wasn't the most perfect happily ever after. Maybe he carried the feather-light Prince down the stairs on his back, and maybe Shane gave them a world of trouble when Rick attempted to place Daryl on the mule's back.  
But maybe Daryl won the stubborn animal's heart with soft words and gentle ear scratches. And maybe the quest down the stairs wasn't that horrible with those gentle caresses on his chest and sugar sweet kisses on his cheeks, a gentle giggle following each one like music in Rick's ears.  
And maybe the sky was dark when they got outside, sun hidden by rain heavy clouds and no sunset in sight, but Rick didn't care. He may not have been the bravest or strongest knight or the most handsome, although Daryl would say otherwise, but he'd be damned if any detail was any different. His personal fairy tale wasn't like most, no sunset horse rides and damsels in distress, but fuck anyone who didn't end believe it was the most amazing happily ever after that ever happened.  
So with a lick of pride in his chest, he holds his prince and they share another kiss, this one longer than the last, filled with the promise of a wonderful future and a true happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it didn't suck! I know it was short but I hope it was funny enough and not as angsty as my other fics.  
> Please comment and let me know what you think! Thank you and I love you all!!


End file.
